this is a president whose foreign policy is collapsing around us. you can see it almost every day now on television. if romney is firm and direct and clear, i think that obama has a very real likelihood of coming out of this debate with people finally late on wednesday evening understanding how big the decision is and how big the choice is, and at that point we'll be in a totally new election. >> sean: you think it could have -- look, it had a big, profound impact. you were down double digits heading into south carolina. two debates you were up double digits. up double digits heading into florida. >> calista says if romney could be as direct with obama as he was with me, he'll do just fine. go back in history. when carter beat ford in the debates, it mattered in 1996. when reagan beats carter in 1980, it really mattered. when reagan stumbled in the first debate in 1984, people were shaken. when reagan came back and brilliantly won the second debate -- >> sean: i'm not going to let my youth and age be an issue in this campaign. >> -- change it change